He said he and his friends were camping in the wilderness when he spotted the "creature", and he quickly took a number of pictures on his mobile phone before it scampered away.

In posts online he said: "I walked far away to have a pee, and suddenly saw a monster. I took a few pictures of it, but I am now terrified by my courage then."

The pictures were widely shared via Chinese social media - until one commentator said he thought he might be able to explain the bizarre occurrence.

While there is no way of verifying his comments, the amateur actor said that he is in fact the subject of the photographs - dressed up in prosthetics and a leafy loincloth.

He added: He added: "And when I was having a pee a person popped up and took pictures of me and shot away" "Over the weekend I and my friends went to the mountains to take a mini sci-fi film," he wrote.

"And when I was having a pee a person popped up and took pictures of me and shot away."